It has been a bad few years for footballers as role models. Several footballers in the past year have been charged, or accused of various heinous offences like rape, sexual assault, drunk driving, and more. Be it, Benjamin Mendy of Manchester City, Mason Greenwood of Manchester United, or the unnamed Premier League footballer accused of assault, football’s ugly underbelly has been a nightmare experience for fans. Jack Diamond of Sunderland FC, on loan at Lincoln City, has had his name added to this list now.
What is the Jack Diamond case?
Northumbria Police, in a statement revealed on Thursday, said that Sunderland’s Jack Diamond has been charged with one count of rape and one count of sexual assault.
The charges stem from an investigation launched in May of last year after the report was received then. A woman told the police last May that she had been sexually assaulted by the footballer “inside an address in the Washington area”.
Below is the full statement of Northumbria Police:
“In May last year, we received a report that a woman had been sexually assaulted inside an address in the Washington area.
“An investigation was immediately launched and a man was subsequently arrested.
“Jack Diamond, 23, of Fatfield, Washington, has now been charged with one count of rape and one count of sexual assault and is due to appear at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court in May.”
A spokesperson for Jack Diamond has said that the footballer “strenuously denies the allegations made against him” and is “looking forward to clearing his name in the court”.
What happens next with Jack Diamond?
While Diamond will appear in Magistrates’ Court in May, being formally charged has caused the clubs to leap into action. His parent club, Sunderland, suspended him with immediate effect “pending the outcome of the judicial process”.
Meanwhile, Lincoln City, where the player was on loan, have terminated the deal effective immediately.
Here’s the statement from Sunderland in full:
“Sunderland AFC has been notified that criminal charges have been brought against Jack Diamond by the Crown Prosecution Service.
“The player has been suspended with immediate effect, pending the outcome of the judicial process, and his loan agreement at Lincoln City Football Club has also been terminated.
“As this matter is subject to a legal process, the club will not be making any further statement at this time.”
There are unlikely to be further developments in the case till the player appears in Magistrates’ Court in May.
Cases bringing disrepute to the game
The list of criminal footballers is not a new one. Many footballers earlier have also been charged with various offences, some even indicted.
However, the recent surge in such cases has brought a lot of unwanted attention to the game. Benjamin Mendy remains suspended by Manchester City after being accused of multiple rapes and sexual assaults.
Mason Greenwood’s situation has kept Manchester United in a difficult predicament where the charges on him did not stick but the information regarding the case in the public domain makes it hard for the club to begin the reconciliation.
While these two cases, along with Jack Diamond now are the ones where the name of the footballer has become public, there have been cases of unnamed PL players which still seek resolution.
All of this has shed unwanted light on the game and sparked a debate about footballers as role models. While there are inspirational figures in the game, like Marcus Rashford, who have used their platform to bring happiness to millions, such cases force the game to take two steps back.
